Three Series To Be Decided at ProKart Season Finale
Tweet| 6 November 2012 |
press release
The final round of the Australian National, Queensland and New South Wales ProKart Endurance Championships is to be contested this coming Saturday, November 10 at Raleigh International Raceway, just south of Coffs Harbour, NSW.
With over 30 entries already confirmed, the 6-hour endurance race will be the spectacular finale of the 2012 ProKart Australian Endurance Karting Championships whilst also representing the final round in the Queensland and New South Wales championship series. All 3 series have seen multiple winners in 2012 and all 3 championships will be decided this weekend, with any number of teams capable of securing the coveted #1 position should fortune work in their favour.
Above: Karts form up at a previous series round
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Greg Kapp, Starkey Motorsport
In Queensland, the championship heads in to the final race with the largest margin seen in recent years, albeit the 47 point advantage held by the #5 KnK-equipped team of MF-Tech Racing equates to only 7 on-track positions should the second-placed #152 MS-Kart of Phantom Racing win this event. This championship is far from decided and it was these teams who fought out the 2011 championship; ultimately won by Phantom.
Whilst in mathematical contention, barring disaster for the leading 2 teams it is likely that both the #88 entry of Nexus Force KnK and the #24 of RPM will be fighting for 3rd place in the championship. Nexus Force KnK hold a healthy points lead over RPM, however RPM have reportedly secured the services of Alan Gurr for this round, adding significant speed to their already impressive driver lineup in what is a clear move to secure the round win and enhance their chances of 3rd place in the series’ championship.
It’s been a strong year for KnK chassis’ in the Queensland series, winning all but 2 of the rounds held so far – many looking to see how the undoubtedly quick KnK chassis’ handle the rough and undulating circuit at Raleigh. With MF-Tech having won 4 of the 7 Queensland series’ rounds this year in their KnK Dominator, they go in to Raleigh confident of a solid result. Given however their last outing at Raleigh (in a different brand of kart) ended with their left-hand front ‘stub axle’ breaking (resulting in the wheel detaching and landing some 100m from where the kart ended up in the sand-trap), the team is approaching the weekend with caution; anxious to secure a finish rather than necessarily chasing another victory.
Above: Checquered flag for MF-Tech
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Shane McMah
All eyes however are likely to be on the team from Phantom Racing as they look to secure their first-ever Australian National Championship and in the process, maximise their opportunity to capitalise on any challenges faced by MF-Tech and potentially also win the Queensland series.
Having won 2 of the 3 “National” rounds this year and through placing 3rd in the other round, Phantom Racing really have been ‘the’ form team of the National series this year, their MS-Kart demonstrating immaculate reliability and impressive speed.
With a lead of 44 points over last year’s National Champions ARK-KW Racing (Kart #1), Phantom will undoubtedly be managing a fast-pace to try and secure the Qld title whilst ensuring they run reliably and avoid trouble to secure victory in the Australian Championship. As is the case in the Queensland series, should ARK-KW Racing win this event in their #1 chassis, Phantom will have to finish 7th or better to secure their first-ever Australian Championship.
The NSW championship is the closest of all 3 series heading into the final round, with current leaders eWishingWell.com.au (formerly known as Bell Pipes Racing) holding a slender 18 point advantage over second placed Starkey Motorsport. Both teams have displayed significant speed in 2012, and it could literally be a 6-hour sprint race as these teams fight to claim the NSW State Endurance Championship title.
Above: Team ARK
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Greg Kapp, Starkey Motorsport
To put the gap between eWishingWell.com.au and Starkey Motorsport into context; the winners of this race get 200 points, second is 190 and third is 182. If Starkey Motorsport secures the win in their #46 entry, then eWishingWell.com.au will need to finish in 2nd place in order to secure the championship. If however Starkey don’t win or finish 2nd, the #23 entry of eWishingWell.com.au need to finish within 2 positions of Starkey or better, as each position from 3rd and below has a 6-point-differential (i.e. 3rd is 182 points, 4th is 176, 5th is 170 etc). If the teams finish 3 positions apart Starkey’s would win by virtue of having won 2 rounds this year to the single victory enjoyed by the eWishingWell.com.au team.
The Raleigh 6-hour features as one of ProKart’s marquee events and Raleigh International Raceway has hosted the season-ending event for a number of years now, proving popular with series officials, competitors and spectators alike.
Above: Phantom Racing
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Greg Kapp, Starkey Motorsport
The ProKart endurance series is like any other form of professional long-distance racing with pit stops, safety cars, driver changes and refuelling adding a new dimension to the sport of karting with most competitors drawing parallels with Australia’s own Bathurst 1000 V8Supercar event.
When you consider that this event is the shortest (in duration) of any that ProKart run in Australia and that at 6-hours long the karts are running for longer than most cars do in a Bathurst 1000, it reinforces how significant the test is of equipment, drivers, strategy and appropriate preparation to ensure the necessary reliability to run at full-pace for such an extended period.
Above: Black & Gold eWishingWell.com.au
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Greg Kapp, Starkey Motorsport
This event will be decisive in the Queensland, New South Wales and Australian Championships and with an entry list of over 30 teams likely to take the starters flag, it should prove to be a fiercely contested and fitting season finale.
For more information about the ProKart 6-hour Endurance race in Raleigh, visit the official ProKart Australia website: http://prokart.racertv.com.au or contact Ian McMah on 0401 271 188.
Above: Simon Ham and Steve Thompson, Phantom Racing
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Ian McMah
